Mabtiit cable



M. CARLE.

LUBRICATOR.

APPLICATION FlLED JUNE 19. 1919.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

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6 WM C n W 213M044 ed THE COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPII 50.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT orricn. I v

MARTIN CABLE, or CLIFTON FORGE, VIRGINIA.

LUBRIOA'IOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, .1919.

Application filed June 19, 1919. Serial No. 305,209;

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, MARTIN CABLE,- a citizen of the United States, residing at Clifton Forge, in the county of Alleghany and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to lubricators, and particularly to a sight feed lubricating fitting for use in connection with supplying a lubricant to the cylinders of compound air compressors. 7'

The primary object of the invention is to provide means for insuring the proper dis tribution of the lubricant to the cylinders of air compressors, preferably compound air compressors, employing a high and a low pressure cylinder. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described a in which the lubricant may be supplied to the compressor cylinders-in a most economical manner.

A. still further object is to so produce the device or fitting that it maybe incorporated concerned, I consider its application best adapted for use in conjunction with that type of compound air compressor which is employed for storing compressed air on :railroad trains and the like, which air is primarily intended as an operating medium A's heretofore pra'cfor the train brakes. t1sed,such air compressors have been lubricated under the watchful care of the engineer; therefore, a suitable fitting is provided in the engine cab within convenient reach of the engineer, wherebyshe may control the distribution of oil'from the source of supply to the air compressor cylinders.

Normally, the source of oil supply is closed, 5 because it takes very little oil to lubricate the compressor cylinders. Then again, cerh tain restrictions are usually applied to the with my use of oil", which makes it necessary for the engineer to exercise economical methods in feeding the lubricant.

As heretofore carried out, the engineer usually opens the fitting, permitting a certain number of drops of oil to be fed by the sight feed into either the high or the low pressure cylinder. The

fittings now in use make .it exceedingly uncertain as to whether or not the number of drops which the engineer permits to pass by the sight feed really reach the cylinders,

due mainly to thepressurecaused by the' "whether or not'the oil really does reach the cylinder; "While the fluctuations in pressure around the nozzle in this instance are not so apparentas in the case of thelow pressure fitting, there is usually so,- much pressure in the oil conduitas to prevent the oil from beingsupplied to the cylinder. I propose to overcome these many disadvantages of the present system by employing a fitting, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the form shown is an illustrative embodiment,

; Figure 1 being a sideelevation a compound fitting, constructed in accordance invention, a part of which being shown in section; Fig, 2 isa cross-sectional View; and Fig. 3 is a detailedview of the particular valve which I desire toemploy.

Referring to the drawing in detail,'I have devised the fitting in order that it may be used,- as heretofore stated, on a conventional type 'oflubricating system, 1n which the source of oil supply isconnected to the oil manifold 5,the oil to be suppliedto the.

high andlow pressure cylinders having a communication, as at 5?, and being a common supply to both the high and low pressure cylinderswhen the oil has, reached the manifold 5. The oil may be supplied to the manifold 5 by either gravitation or pressure, according to the requirements. Connected to the manifold 5 are the separate oil distributing connections 6 and 6, which are made to receive and communicate with suitable conduits which lead to the low and high pressure cylinders, respectively, of the compressor. As is usual in fittings of this character, a pair of valves are employed which may be selectively used to supply oil to the conduits of the low and the high pressure sylinders, and which valves are constructed with discharge nozzles 7, terminating in front of the sights 8. These valves have the usual hand-grips 9 operating the valve stems 10 for controlling the discharge past the nozzles 7. I propose to employ a specially constructed valve in connection with the fitting, the preferred construction of which is as follows: The end of the valve stem 10 is reduced in diameter to provide a' relatively long end 11, the reduction in diameter of this end beginning with'an abrupt tapered shoulder 12, which will seat in the beveled opening 13 on the upper end of the discharge nozzle 7, the end 11 of the valve stem, when the valve is closed, being confined within the opening 14, comprising a continuation of the seat 13. The passage 15 communicates with the end of the nozzle and the valve opening, whereby the oil may pass from the manifold 5 to the dischargenozzle. While I have been describing only a single valve, it is to be of course understood that in the present embodiment of the invention I am referring to a double fitting, therefore a pair of these valves will be used, one for each fitting. The valves will be retained normally closed, they being opened when it is necessary for a supply of lubricant to be furnished to the cylinders. As it is desirable to positively close the valves when the proper number of drops have been deposited, I construct the valve stem with a clockwise direction.

cam shoulder 16, which rides over the cam face 17 when the'hand-grip 9 is turned anti-clockwise, and opens the valve, the amount of opening being controlled by the turning of the hand-grip; Inclosing the valve the hand-grip is turned clockwise. A

suitable stufiing box 18 is provided, as is usual in a construction of this kind. 19 represents the valve stem housing. To properly seat the valve I provide a contractile spring 20, which is secured at diametrically opposite sides of the two handgrips. This spring will act not only to keep thevalve closed under tension, but also to induce the turning of the hand-grips in a So faras described,

'the lubricant entering the manifold 5 through the connection 5 may be fed to the oil distributing connections 6 and 6 by discharging the proper number of drops from the ends of the discharge nozzles 7. Now, as previously mentioned, considerable diificulty is experienced in discharging the correct number of drops from the end of the nozzles. To overcome this disadvantage, I provide the fitting with means for introducing a pressure medium around the discharge nozzle to equalize or differentiate between the pressure in each of the conduits which are connected through the distributers 6 and 6. This pressure medium is supplied in substantially the same manner as the lubricant is supplied to the fitting, in that I provide a manifold 21, which has a connection 22. This pressure medium preferably comprises air taken from the pressure tank of the brake system. I have found in practice that by supplying this pressure medium around the end of the discharge nozzle for the low pressure cylinder, the fluctuation in pressure is differentiated or equalized to an extent whereby the drops will not be disturbed, thus enabling the engineer to count them and supply the desired number. In the case of the high pressure fitting I have found that the pressure medium surrounding the discharge nozzle will act to neutralize or differentiate between the pressure produced by the cylinder to permit the lubricant to not only be discharged by properly gaged drops, but also to permit its fiow through the conduit to the cylinder. Inother words, the pressure produced by the cylinder will not act to retard the flow of lubricant, as the pressure behind it will overcome such a tendency. While the device so far described will function properly, I prefer to employ check valves, such as 23, for each of the distributers 6 and 6, which valves will close when the pressure in the oil conduits is at a maximum, and will open by means of the pressure medium when the pressure in the oil conduits is at a minimum, or at least less than the force of the pressure medium. I find: that the application of these valves helps to maintain a quiet zone around the end of the discharge nozzles.

The entire fitting, as in the case of those now employed, may be made in a single casting. However, in the case of a single cylinder air compressor, one fitting may be resorted to in place of the two, in which event the oil may be supplied through a single connection or communication, such as 5 and the pressure medium supplled through a sure resistance in said communication produced by the compressor, said lubricator comprising a fitting having a connection for a forced source of lubricant supply, a connection for distributing lubricant to said communication, a valved connection between the 'said connection for a source of lubrinozzle.

MARTIN CABLE.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. G. 

